Ankle bandage



Aug. 10, 1948. J, BRAND 2,446,902

ANKLE BANDAGE Filed May 29, 1947 Patented Aug. 10, 1948 UNH'ED STATEd Q ATENT OFFICE ANKLE BANDAGE Jane Brand, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application May 29, 1947, Serial No. 751,207

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to elastic ankle supports, or bandages.

Various types and forms of ankle supports, or bandages, have heretofore been proposed but all of those with which I am familiar are open to one or more disadvantages. 'For example, some types include fastening elements, such as laces or ties, that constitute added bulk and may cause irritation or discomfort as a result of pressure exerted by a shoe worn over the bandage. Others [are of more or less complicated construction or do not afford adequate support for the ankle. Still others are incapable of remaining satisfactorily in position under normal movements of the ankle, for instance when the wearer is walking.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide an elastic ankle support that not only affords satisfactory support for the ankle without discomfort of any kind to the wearer but also is adequately anchored in position, which is readily and easily applied to and removed from an ankle requiring such support, which is of simple and inexpensive construction, and which may be made from commonly available materials.

Other objects will appear from :the following description.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the constituent elements from which the preferred embodiment of support in accordance with the invention is made; Fig. 2 is a perspective View of a support assembled from the parts shown in Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a View of the support of Fig. 2 shown applied to a foot.

The ankle supports, or bandages, provided by this invention comprise a band of elastic material, a narrow tape connected at its ends to the ends of said band at one side thereof, and a second narrow tape similarly connected to the band at the other side and in spaced relation to the first-named tape. In this way there is provided a support that may be slipped over the foot so that the band portion overlies and is in elastic contact with the ankle, and with one of the tapes engaging the upper portion of the heel and the other tape underlying the instep whereby the tapes securely anchor the support in place against normal movements of the ankle and co-operate with the elastic band to provide elastic support for the ankle.

Having reference now to the drawings, the embodiment shown is made from a single fiat band I of elastic material and a pair of similar narrow tapes 2 and 2a. One of the tapes, for example 2, is connected at its ends to the ends of band I adjacent one side of the band, and the other tape 2a is similarly connected to the band I at the other side, both as shown in Fig. 2. Suitably the tapes are connected to the band by stitching with thread. In this way there is provided a circlet structure as shown in perspective in Fig. 2.

As appears from the drawings, the band I is of greater length than width, and the tapes 2 and 2a are relatively narrow so that when attached to band I they are spaced apart to provide a gap between them that is of substantial width, Preferably also the elastic band I is stretchable only lengthwise as seen in Fig. 1, l. e., transversely of the ankle, and is capable of substantially no transverse stretch, i. e., longitudinally of the ankle. Such materials are well known and available to the trade, commonly in the form of fabric woven with rubber threads so disposed with respect to the fabric as to provide the stretch properties just described. Tapes 2 and 2a are preferably elastic also, suitably of the same material and disposed so that they stretch in the same direction as band I.

The use of the support shown in Fig. 2 is illustrated in Fig. 3. It is slipped over the toes with band portion I upwardly and when the band is positioned over the ankle one of the tapes, say tape 2, is pulled up over the heel, and the other tape, 2a, is positioned to underlie the foot in a position substantially intermediate the rear of the instep and the heel. Most suitably band I is of such length that when thus positioned it extends, as seen in Fig. 3, from one side of the ankle to the diametrically opposite point. With this construction tapes 2 and 2a act to maintain the band I in position during walking or other normal movements of the ankle. The band I snugly conforms itself to the ankle and afiords sufficient elastic support to it, while the elastic support thus provided is complemented in the preferred embodiment by the stretch of tapes 2 and 2a. Also, as seen from Fig. 3, the entire heel is left exposed, which further contributes to the comfort of the wearer. And by making the tapes narrow the one that underlies the foot supplies no substantial support to the underside of the instep, which is for some purposes a desirable attribute. No fastening means are necessary, either for the application or proper adjustment of the support, and obviously supports as shown in Fig. 2 may be made by the simplest sewing operations.

It will be understood that the support may be worn also to give support to the arch of the foot by donning it with the band I underlying the instep instead of overlying it as shown in Fig. 3.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. An elastic ankle support comprising a band of elastic material of greater length than width, a tape connected at its ends to the ends of said band at one side thereof, a second tape similarly connected to said band at the other side and in spaced relation to the first named tape, thereby forming a circlet structure, said tapes being narrower than said band, said band being .long enough to overlie the ankle and extend from one side of it to the other side, and one of said tapes being adapted to overlie the heel and the other of said tapes to underlie the foot to thereby 'an- .chor' the band in ankle-supporting Position against normal ankle movements while leavin the heel uncovered, and said band being stretchable transversely but substantially incapable of stretch longitudinally of the ankle.

2. An elastic ankle support comprising a band of elastic material of greater length than width, a elastic tape connected at its ends to the ends against normal ankle movements without providing substantial instep support and while leaving the heel uncovered, and said band and tapes being stretchable transversely but substantially incapable of stretch longitudinally of the ankle.

JANE BRAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,083,904 Fox June 15, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 166,603 Switzerland Mar. 16, 1934 

